What are you reading?

Adagio

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He uses the same technique in this one of telling the story in first and third. Really works too. But how can you argue with an opening like this?

"Six minutes from now, one of us would be dead. That was our fate. None of us knew it was coming."

The book grabbed me from the opening lines and isn't letting me go. :D


Ha ha! Well ... he knows the tricks of the craft for this genre. Hook and hold, the reader I mean. The reason I remember Meltzer's technique (1st-3rd) is that at that time I was troubled with my WIP, initially written in 1st but another character became vocal, wanted a voice of his own, wanted to tell his side of the story, and I scratched my head: 1st? 3rd? 1st? 3rd? Anyway, not to digress from the topic of this thread, reading Meltzer gave me an idea on how to handle the troublesome dilemma. Currently, the story is from 3rd all through to avoid the bumpy road of switching from 1st to 3rd and back (Meltzer can do whatever he likes, but I'm not him, right?)
 

childeroland

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The Secret Garden's a lovely book.

Reading Harris's Dead Until Dark.
 

mccardey

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Can I join in?

Just finished Policing Controversy by Ian Blair.

Currently reading The Cleanest Race: how North Koreans see themselves and why it matters by B.R. Myers.

Fave book in the whole world - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Followed by Home and Housekeeping - but not in any order.

*sigh* I so heart Marilynne Robinson
 

Alan Yee

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Last night, I finished King's Shield by Sherwood Smith. As soon as I finish typing this post, I will start reading Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling.
 

Kathleen42

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Finished Stepford Wives (even having seen the 1975 movie, all I can say is, "Damn.")

Just started What's Eating Gilbert Grape and having a very hard time staying away from reading it to work on my own revisions.
 

ResearchGuy

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Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. Oh, my . . .

Also Joseph Stiglitz's Freefall. Hoo boy.

And Ramsay MacMullen's Voting about God in Early Church Councils. Whew!

And Stirling Silliphant's The Naked City (1959 -- first-printing paperback). Short stories based on the TV series. Gritty. Finally getting to that one after 50 years.

And edging into Roger Cooke's Classical Algebra: Its Nature, Origins, and Uses. Might regret that one. The book-club description was persuasive (they often are) but it will take all the concentration I can muster.

Need to start in on another lightweight series mystery, having finished one (Elaine Viets' mystery-shopper series book The Fashion Hound Murders) last night. I like her other series, the Dead-End Job mysteries, better.

--Ken
 

bsolah

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I finished The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas, which was amazing. And am back to focussing on Sexuality and Socialism by Sherry Wolf, which I was already reading.

I might pick up The Danger Game by Kalinda Ashton soon though.
 

mccardey

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Bsolah - wasn't The Slap a terrific read? I loved it. How telling was it that the only kid that got slapped was the anglo-Australian?
 

mccardey

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Just that I'm always surprised at the different behavioural standards in middle class barbecue groupings. Anglo kidlets (and I had two) tend to get away with appalling behaviour. Mediterranean tots present a much prettier picture behaviour-wise. It took me a while to work out that it was The Grandparent Factor. The non-Anglo kidlets aren't necessarily any better - but they have so many adults around them that they can usually be distracted before they do anything too appalling.... ;)

Just read your review - I like it. I think I agree with you, except that I also wondered if there was a bit of a statement involved in the fact that it was only the anglo-kid that got slapped. I've spent a few years in other countries and I often find that some non-Aussies can be almost irritated at Australian outlooks at times. As though we're a little bit brash, a little bit shallow, a little bit, well, unanchored. (Sydney, perhaps, more than Melbourne.) That was why it struck me that the smacking of the Anglo-brat was more than just random - perhaps a more a statement of how a newcomer feels about the country, even though in a way he loves it... But I could be overthinking it....
 
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pawprintwriter

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Just finished Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding and Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn - loved them both. Starting The Mane Event by Shelly Laurenston next - we'll see.
 

mccardey

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Starting "Voodoo Histories: the role of the conspiracy theory in shaping modern history" by David Aaronovitch. Got great reviews and I'm looking forward to it :)
 
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childeroland

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Charlaine Harris, Living Dead in Dallas
 

STKlingaman

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Steven Kings 2nd in the Dark Tower series.
After the first which was well paced, and held
my interest. The second (The Drawing of the Three)
is getting back to his drawing out every detail
to death = using to many words.
I'm into his 'Prisoner' plot (60 pages into it),
and already could have cut 30 pages worth
of useless filler.
Debating whether I should start something else,
because I can't read enough to get me tired enough
to put me to sleep.
Although I can read enough to put it down from
sheer boredom.

Maybe give 'The Mote in God's Eye' another
go, or 'The H.A.B. Theory'.
 

jodiodi

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Finally finished that awful book I was reading about the vampire-hunter-orphan-MarySue-chick. Lord, I hated that character. She whined way too much and was always having to be bailed out by some guy. If she's so tough, why does she need him to haul her butt out of trouble so much?

Now I'm reading ... something else. I don't have it with me at the moment. I think it's Daemon by Stuart Woods, but I could be wrong. I have several books in my stack.
 

Wavy_Blue

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Currently reading Sweethearts by Sara Zarr. Pretty speshul so far. I like it.
 

samripley

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I just finished Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott, which I really liked; I read it in less than a day! I have a bunch of books in my to-read pile, but I think I'm going to start Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Delamore.
 

Momento Mori

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I've almost finished The Adamantine Palace by Stephen Deas and it's left me cold. The problem is that in trying to create a world filled with Macchiavellan-style politics and ruthless characters, he's neglected to create characters who the reader can empathise with. I don't mind a murdering, sociopathic anti-hero, but I'd like to at least understand why he's doing the things he's doing and what his end game is. As a result, everyone in the book feels v. 2 dimensional and it's difficult for me to care about any of them.

MM